TAG: sake of Allah

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a month of daily fasting, in which Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and sexual activities from dawn to sunset. Fasting is intended to teach Muslims about patience, humility, and spirituality and is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of God. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.

The name “Ramadan” had been the name of the ninth month in Arabian culture long before the arrival of Islam; the word itself derived from an Arabic root rm, as in words like “rami’a” or “ar-rama’ denoting intense heat, scorched ground and shortness of rations.

The most prominent event of this month is fasting. The fast is intended to be an exacting act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised awareness of closeness to God. The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm. It also allows Muslims to practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate; thus encouraging actions of generosity and charity (Zakat).

Ramadan is also a time when Muslims are to slow down from worldly affairs and focus on self-reformation, spiritual cleansing, and enlightenment; this is to establish a link between themselves and God through prayer, supplication, charity, good deeds, kindness and helping others. Since it is a festival of giving and sharing, Muslims prepare special foods and buy gifts for their family and friends and forgiving to the poor and needy who cannot afford it; this can involve buying new clothes, shoes and other items of need.

As compared to the solar calendar, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving backward about ten days each year depending on the moon. Hila’l (the crescent) is typically a day (or more) after the astronomical new moon. Since the new moon indicates the beginning of the new month, Muslims can usually safely estimate the beginning of Ramadan. There are some disagreements each year on when Ramadan starts.

After Allah commanded that He be appreciated, He ordained patience and prayer. It is a fact that the servant is either enjoying a bounty that he should be thankful for, or suffering a calamity that he should meet with patience. A Hadith states:

(Amazing is the believer, for whatever Allah decrees for him, it is better for him! If he is tested with a bounty, he is grateful for it and this is better for him; and if he is afflicted with a hardship, he is patient with it and this is better for him.)

Allah has stated that the best tools to help ease the effects of the afflictions are patience and prayer. Earlier we mentioned Allah’s statement:

(And seek help in patience and As-Salah (the prayer) and truly, it is extremely heavy and hard except for Al-Khashi`in [i.e., the true believers in Allah]) (2:45)

There are several types of Sabr ? patience: one for avoiding the prohibitions and sins, one for acts of worship and obedience. The second type carries more rewards than the first type. There is a third type of patience required in the face of the afflictions and hardships, which is mandatory, like repentance.

`Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, “Sabr has two parts: patience for the sake of Allah concerning what He is pleased with (i.e., acts of worship and obedience), even if it is hard on the heart and the body, and patience when avoiding what He dislikes, even if it is desired. Those who acquire these qualities will be among the patient persons whom Allah shall greet (when they meet Him in the Hereafter; refer to Surat Al-Ahzab 33:44), Allah willing.”

“Say, “O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent. You cause the night to enter the day, and You cause the day to enter the night; and You bring the living out of the dead, and You bring the dead out of the living. And You give provision to whom You will without account.” (3: 26-27)

One of the methods the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to explain Islamic principles and values was to relate a short story. A story can be very effective in explaining the idea in question. It is always easier for people to remember a story, particularly if it is short and to the point. This is how the Prophet told his stories.

When the Prophet wanted to stress the importance of good deeds, and the effect they may have on a person, he told a story about three friends who met a real difficulty and were saved only by virtue of their past good deeds. Here is the story as it is told in Muslim’s authentic anthology of hadiths: “Three people were walking together, when they were impeded by heavy rain. They went into a cave on a nearby mountain. A large rock fell off the mountain and landed at the entrance of their cave and closed it. They said to each other: Remember some good deeds you have done for God’s sake and pray to God on account of these deeds. He may relieve your difficulty.

“One of them said: I had my two parents at old age, and I had my wife and young children. I worked as a shepherd to earn our living. When I returned in the evening, I would milk a sheep, then I would start by giving my parents to drink before I gave my children. One day, I went far into the woods, and I did not return home until the night had fallen. I found my parents asleep. I milked a sheep as it was my custom and brought the milk to them. As I stood close to their bed, I did not wish to disturb their sleep. Nor did I like to give my children to drink before my parents. The children were fretting near my feet. We remained in this situation until the break of dawn. My Lord, if You know that I did this only to earn Your pleasure, please give us an opening so that we can see the sky. God removed a portion of the rock to give them an opening and they could see the sky.

“The second man said: My Lord, I had a cousin whom I loved as much as any man could love a woman. I tried to take her to bed, but she refused. She said that she would not give me what I wanted until I have given her 100 dinars. I worked hard until I managed to raise the money. I took it to her. When I sat between her legs, she said to me: ‘You, servant of God! Fear God and do not open this ring except in a legitimate way’. I stood up and left her. My Lord, if You know that I did this only to earn Your pleasure, please give us an opening through this rock’. God gave them an opening.

“The third man said: My Lord, I once hired a laborer for a small sack of rice. When he finished his work, he asked me to pay him. I gave him the sack of rice, but he did not wish to take it. I planted it, time after time, until I raised out of its income some cows and their feed. The man came to me later and said: ‘Fear God and do not deny me my right’. I told him to take those cows and their feed. He said: ‘Fear God and do not ridicule me’. I said: ‘I am not ridiculing you. Take the cows and their feed’. He took them away. My Lord, if You know that I did this only to earn Your pleasure, please remove what is left of the rock. God removed the rest of the rock”.

This is the story told by the Prophet. It is not difficult to remember, and its moral is very clear. It tells us that a good deed, done purely for God’s sake, could easily be our savior from difficulty. We will discuss this more fully next week, God willing.

We know that the One God exists and we know that we are a product of His creation. But we often forget to remember that we were created for a specific purpose. If ten of us try to find out what our purpose is on our own, without considering the Revelation, we might find ten different purposes. However, if we look at the Qur’an, we will find out that the purpose of our lives is clearly defined.

Allah The Most High says, “O Mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those before you so that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (i.e. those who have taqwaa – piety).” Al-Baqarah (2):21

And He said, “And I created not the Jinns and mankind except that they may worship Me (Alone).” Adh-Dhaariyaat (51):56

Allah Ta`aalaa also says in the Qur’an: “Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion, and He is able to do all things. Who has created death and life, that He may test which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving.” Al-Mulk (67):1-2

These verses where revealed to us by Allah in order to inform us of why we are here on the Earth, what we should be doing and where we are heading. Not to benefit Himself, or because He needs our worship. Rather, because we are in need of Him.

Allah Ta`aalaa says, “O mankind! It is you who stand in need (who are poor) of Allah, but Allah is Rich (Free of all needs), Worthy of all praise.” Faatir (35):15

What is meant by “to test which of you is best in deed”? Al-Fudayl Ibn `Iyyaad said, “The best deed is that which is most devoted and most proper.” He was asked, “How should it be most devoted and most proper?”, and he responded, “For if the deed was devoted but was not proper it would not be accepted, and if it was proper but was not devoted it would not be accepted; the devoted is to be for Allah alone, and the proper is to be in compliance with As-Sunnah.”

We were created for this one reason: to worship Allah and to strive to be the best in deed. It is not only a matter of how many deeds we do, it is also a matter of quality. Should we take for granted that our deeds are accepted or should we strive to perfect them and make them pure for Allah’s sake and in accordance to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him)?

Allah Ta`aalaa says in the Qur’an: “Say (O Muhammad): “Shall We tell you the greatest losers in respect of (their) deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds?” al-Kahf (18):103-104

And He said, “Verily, Allah accepts only from those who are al-Muttaqoon (i.e. those who have taqwaa).” Al-Maa’idah (5):27

A scholar said, “there are those who think that this Universe has founded itself or it came to exist by co-incidence. This necessitates that man “has no goal to fulfill” because he came into being without a defined goal! Consequently, a moral or a value system becomes meaningless. Accordingly, man is just a responding “tool” for “mother nature” which, according to Darwin himself, “acts haphazardly”! This way of thinking is aimlessness, and it occurs when man does not recognize his relation with the One who had created life and death, the Universe, and everything around man, all in due proportion.”

We have to remember that Allah created death and life so that we may worship Him (i.e. obey Allah Ta`aalaa in all which He commands through the tongue of the Messengers, performing all that Allah loves and is Pleased with from statements and actions – both inner and outer), and perform that worship in the best manner. That is what our objective should be. Instead of contradicting the purpose of man’s existence and acting for the sake of perishable worldly interests, we must fulfill its completion. This worship includes all our acts, our sleep, our studies, our recreation and specific forms of worship defined by the Qur?an and Sunnah. Our period here is short and being slave to worldly gains results in corruption of our souls, constant difficulty, worry and poverty.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Allah says: Son of Adam: fill your time with My worship and I will fill your heart with richness, and end off your poverty. But if you do not, I would make your hands fully busy (i.e. in worldly affairs) and I would not end off your poverty.” (At-Tirmidhee, hasan hadeeth)

Moreover, Allah has given us choice and has not forced us to do our acts. He says, “Then whosoever wills let him believe, and whosoever wills let him disbelieve.” al-Kahf (18):29

Clearly, we have been informed of our purpose and were shown the way to achieve it. The choice is ours.

By way of explaining how the Prophet (peace be upon him) used every possible method to explain to his audience the concepts of Islam, its moral standards and values, and how people should conduct their lives in order to practice what they believe, we referred to his method of telling stories.

Any story the Prophet told was short, to the point and had an obvious lesson for us to learn.

We gave an example of a story the Prophet related to stress the importance of good deeds and how they benefit the person doing them. The story tells of three people seeking refuge in a cave, but as they were in, a large rock fell off the mountain and landed at the cave entrance, blocking it completely so that they could not even see the sky. They counseled each other to remember some of their good deeds and pray to God to help them in their difficulty. The first one spoke of his dutifulness to his parents, the second mentioned how he refrained from committing adultery with the woman he loved so dearly, and the third spoke of how he took care of the wages of a laborer he had hired until they multiplied manifold and then he handed all the proceeds to the laborer who came back to demand his wages.

Each of these deeds was done purely for God’s sake. The first man, who came home late to find his elderly parents having slept before he could feed them, did not disturb their sleep and did not feed his children before his parents. He realized that dutifulness to parents was paramount. Had he fed his children, he would not have committed a sin, but he would have fell short of the standard of dutifulness he wished to maintain. The second man loved the woman so much that he was prepared to go to every length in order to give her what she wanted so that she would yield to his desire and sleep with him. When she reminded him of God and told him to fear Him, he just left off, knowing that he could have had her and she could not have prevented him. The third man invested the laborer’s wages and managed to achieve very high returns that instead of a small sack of rice, he was able to give the laborer several cows and their feed. He could have kept the wages safe until the man came back. When he achieved such a high rate of return, he could have retained some of it as his commission. But he wanted nothing of this. He gave it all up to the laborer.

In each of these stories, the moral is the purity of intention. The good deed was done purely for God’s sake. There was no immediate benefit for the person concerned. All that the men hoped for as a result was that God would record the deed as done for His sake. None of these acts involved any great sacrifice. None meant much effort, but the point is that they had that great element of purity of intention. Hence they were accepted by God.

We know that God rewards a good deed ten times its value. But this is the basic rate. The Prophet mentioned that it could be raised to 700 times the value of the deed. That is certainly a much higher return, but the Prophet also left the door open to any multiple God may choose to grant. In the case of these three men, it meant their safety from a situation that was bound to end their lives.

They could not remove the large rock no matter how hard they tried. Only an act of God could achieve that. To ensure it, they had to pray to Him on the strength of their good deeds.

We have all heard stories from the lives of the early Muslims with regard to their patience in poverty, their Zuhd (abstinence) and their general disdain for the trappings of this worldly life.

Yet in this age of plenty, our problem is dealing with excess, not figuring out how to make do with less, and this is why most of us fail to identify with the stories of want and deprivation. An alternative way to relate to the lives of early Muslims and inculcate some of the values they lived by, is to examine the lives of the rich among them.

• Khadijah Bint Khuwailid: Humility and serviceShe was the Mother of the Believers upon whom Allah Himself sent salutations through the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel), who told the Prophet (peace be upon him): “ Khadijah is coming to you with a dish (of seasoned food or drink). When she comes to you, offer her greetings from her Lord, the Exalted and Glorious, and on my behalf, and give her glad tidings of a palace of jewels in Paradise wherein there is no noise and no toil. (Sahih Muslim)

Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) was among the wealthiest women of her time, who spent her considerable fortune in providing succor and support to the emerging community of Muslims. During the three years of boycott suffered by the Muslims in Shi’b Abi Talib (a ravine near Makkah where the Muslims were isolated), she almost single-handedly got her agents to procure food and other essentials.

Certainly, she must not have lacked for household help or servants, yet the fact that she carried the Prophet’s meal to him herself, speaks volumes about her humility and the esteem and love she had for her husband, the Prophet (peace be upon him).

• Uthman Bin Affan: Transactions with AllahHe was the Companion about whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “From this day on, nothing will harm Uthman (regardless of what he does).” What prompted the Prophet (peace be upon him) was that Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) outfitted a woefully under-equipped army (called the Jaysh Al-Usrah, Army of Hardship) that was setting out to confront the Romans who were amassing near Tabuk in the year 9 AH, with around 300 camels, a hundred horses and weapons (besides contributing thousands of dinars in money and gold).

In another instance, Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the rescue of the community when there was a severe shortage of water in Madina and the Muslims were obliged to purchase water at very high prices. He purchased a well of sweet water, called Ar-Rumah, and placed it at the disposal of the Muslims.

Later, during the caliphate of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) a severe famine struck Madina, and the city’s merchants gathered at his house when he received a large caravan from Damascus, laden with food and goods.

He asked them what was the best price they would offer, and when they stopped after offering him four or five times the cost of the goods, he answered that he would sell his goods to the highest bidder: Who had promised to redeem his goods at ten times the price. Saying this, he made them witness that he had given away the entire caravan to the people of Madina for the sake of Allah.

The most outstanding trait of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) is his complete trust in the promise of Allah the Exalted, which stemmed from his strong Iman (belief). Unlike most of us, he was sure that what is with Allah the Almighty is undoubtedly better, and this faith was reflected in his unparalleled generosity and eagerness to please Allah by serving the Muslims.

• Abdur Rahman Bin Awf: Between Fear and HopeWhen he migrated to Madina, he was penniless, prompting Sa’d bin Rab’i Al-Ansari (with whom he had established a bond of brotherhood) to offer him half of his property and one of his two wives. However, Abdur Rahman Bin Awf had graciously declined his offer owing to his strong sense of self-respect, and instead asked him to show him the way to the marketplace. Within a short while he was so blessed in his business, that he said, “I feel if I merely pick up a stone, I would find gold or silver underneath it.”

After the demise of the Prophet (peace be upon him), he took care of the Mothers of the Believers in such a superlative manner, that Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) supplicated for him, saying, “May Allah grant him the water of Salsabil (a spring in Paradise).”

He was among one of the 10 Companions who were promised paradise. Once Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) recounted the Prophet’s saying that Abdur Rahman would “enter Paradise crawling”.

When he heard of this, he went up to Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) to confirm this narration. When she confirmed that she did indeed hear the Prophet (peace be upon him) say this, he gave away the proceeds of a caravan he had received from Syria, in gratitude for the glad tidings of Paradise and in the hope of receiving a greater reward.

And once, when he sat down to a meal upon breaking his fast, he wept upon seeing the riches he enjoyed, remembering those of his Companions who had passed away in penury.

No doubt, he was among those who remembered the verse of the Qur’an :

“So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded, We opened to them the gates of every (pleasant) thing, until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We took them to punishment, and lo! They were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrows.” (Qur’an, 6:44)

Explaining this verse, Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, “Whoever is given provision by Allah and he thinks that Allah is not testing him, has no wisdom. Whoever has little provision and thinks that Allah will not look at (provide for) him, has no wisdom.’’

Truly, in these words and in the lives of these Companions are signs for the people who understand.

There was a pious man among the Banu Israel who always remained busy in the worship of Allah. A group of people came to him and told him that a tribe living nearby worshiped a tree. The news upset him, and with an axe on his shoulder he went to cut down that tree. On the way, Satan met him in the form of an old man and asked him where he was going. He said he was going to cut a particular tree. Satan said, “You have nothing to be concerned with this tree, you better mind your worship and do not give it up for the sake of something that does not concern you.” “This is also worship,” retorted the worshiper.

Then Satan tried to prevent him from cutting the tree, and there followed a fight between the two, in which the worshiper overpowered the Satan. Finding himself completely helpless, Satan begged to be excused, and when the worshiper released him, he again said, “Allah has not made the cutting of this tree obligatory on you. You do not lose anything if you do not cut it. If its cutting were necessary, Allah could have got it done through one of his many Prophets.” The worshiper insisted on cutting the tree. There was again a fight between the two and again the worshiper overpowered the Satan. “Well listen,” said Satan, “I propose a settlement that will be to your advantage.” The worshiper agreed, and Satan said, “You are a poor man, a mere burden on this earth. If you stay away from this act, I will pay you three gold coins everyday. You will daily find them lying under your pillow.

By this money you can fulfill your own needs, can oblige your relative, help the needy, and do so many other virtuous things. Cutting the tree will be only one virtue, which will ultimately be of no use because the people will grow another tree.” This proposal appealed to the worshiper, and he accepted it. He found the money on two successive days, but on the third day there was nothing. He got enraged, picked up his axe and went to cut the tree. Satan as an old man again met him on the way and asked him where he was going. “To cut the tree,” shouted the worshiper. “I will not let you do it,” said Satan. A fight took place between the two again but this time Satan had the upper hand and overpowered the worshiper. The latter was surprised at his own defeat, and asked the former the cause of his success. Satan replied, “At first, your anger was purely for earning the pleasure of Allah, and therefore Almighty Allah helped you to overpower me, but now it has been partly for the sake of the gold coins and therefore you lost.”

Source: From the book “Ihyaa-ul Uloom Ud Deen” by Imam Ghazzali (Rematullah Alehe).

Charity is amongst the most virtuous deeds in Islam. Some forms of charity are obligatory, others optional, yet, all forms of charity are highly meritorious. However, even when giving in charity, moderation has been prescribed so that the one who gives in charity may not harm himself in the process, nor does he cause harm to his dependents and inheritors after death. The following Hadeeth explains this matter perfectly.

Narrated Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (radhi allahu anhu), ‘I was stricken by an ailment that led me to the verge of death. The Prophet (s.a.w.s) came to pay me a visit. I said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! I have much property and no heir except my single daughter. Shall I give two-thirds of my property in charity?’ He said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Half of it?’ He said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘One-third of it?’ He said, ‘You may do so though, one-third is also too much, for, it is better for you to leave your off-spring wealthy than to leave them poor, asking others for help. And whatever you spend (for Allah’s sake) you will be rewarded for it, even for a morsel of food which you may put in the mouth of your wife.’?’ [Saheeh al-Bukharee, vol.8, no. 725]

Monastic religions often teach their followers, that the only way to God or the only way to inner enlightenment, is that one does away with all his worldly possessions leading a life of hermits and ultimately depending on begging and the charity of others for sustenance. Islam, on the other hand, teaches its followers to ?

(a) Earn an honest bread (1)*
(b) Spend on oneself and on the family
(c) Spend in charity and we have seen earlier the broad definition of charity in Islam
(d) To be the upper hand rather than the lower (2)
(e) The extreme undesirability of begging without a need (3)

Footnotes:
1. Anas (radhi allahu anhu) said that when a man of the Ansar came to Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ‘aliahi wa-sallam) and begged from him, he asked him whether he had nothing in his house. When he said that he had a piece of cloth, which he used for wearing as well as for spreading on the ground, and a wooden bowl from which he drank water, he told him to bring them to him, and when he did so he took them in his hand and asked, ‘Who will buy these?’ When a man offered a dirham he asked twice or thrice. ‘Who will offer more than a dirham?’ and he gave them to a man who offered two dirhams. He then took the two dirhams and giving them to the Ansari he said, ‘Buy food with one of them and hand it to your family, and buy an axe with the other and bring it to me.’ When he bought it, Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu ‘aliahi wa-sallam) fixed a handle on it with his own hands and said, ‘Go gather firewood and sell it, and don’t let me see you for a fortnight.’ The man went away and gathered firewood and sold it. When he had earned ten dirhams, he came to him (r) and bought a garment with some of them (i.e. dirhams) and food with the others. Then Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu ‘aliahi wa-sallam) said, ‘This is better for you than that begging should come as a spot on your face on the Day of Resurrection. Begging is right for only three people; one who is in grinding poverty, one who is seriously in debt, or one who is responsible for blood-wit that he finds difficult to pay.’ [Abu Dawood]

2. Ibn Umar (radhi allahu anhu) reported, ‘While the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘aliahi wa-sallam) was on his pulpit (in the mosque) delivering a Khutbah (religious talk) about Sadaqah (charity) and begging, he said, ‘the upper hand is better than the lower hand, the upper hand is the one which gives and the lower hand is the begging one.” [Saheeh al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim]

Thauban (radhi allahu anhu) reported, ‘The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘aliahi wa-sallam) said, ‘He who guarantees me that he will not beg anything from anyone, I will guarantee him (to enter) Jannah.” I said, ‘I give you the guarantee.’ Then Thauban (radhi allahu anhu) never begged anything from anyone. [Abu Dawood]

3. Abdullah bin Umar (radhi allahu anhu) reported that Allah’s Messenger(s.a.w.s) said, ‘When a man is always begging from people, the result will be that he will come on the Day of Resurrection with no flesh on his face.’ [Saheeh al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim]

A MAN said to Al-Hasan Al-Basri: “People sit around you so they may find fault with you!” So he replied, “Indeed, I encouraged my soul to aspire for Paradise, so it aspired for it. Then I encouraged it to aspire for protection from Hellfire, so it aspired for it. Then I encouraged it to aspire for redemption from the people, but I didn’t find a way to that. Indeed people were not pleased with their Creator though He provides for them, so how can they be pleased with another creation like themselves?” (Al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya, 9/318)

Malik Bin Dinar said: “Since I have known (the reality of) people, I have not taken delight in their praise nor have I hated their criticism.” It was said to him, “Why is that?” He said, “The one who praises from amongst them is excessive and the critic from amongst them exaggerates!” (Tarikh Dimishq, 59/307)

Ayesha wrote to Mu’awiya (may Allah be pleased with them): “I have heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say, ‘Whoever gains the Pleasure of Allah by the anger of the people (i.e. thereby gains their anger), Allah suffices him against the people’s troubles. And whoever gains the pleasure of the people by the Anger of Allah (i.e. in the process he gains His Anger), then Allah leaves him to the people.” (Al-Tirmidhi, no. 2414, authenticated by Al-Albani)

Imam Al-Shafi’i said: “There is nobody except that he has someone who loves him and someone who hates him. So if that’s the case, let a person be with the people who are obedient to Allah! (as they love and hate for the sake of Allah and they are not unjust)” (Hilyat Al-Awliya, 9/124)

The children of the Believers who die before reaching the age of puberty will be in Paradise, In Sha Allah, by the Grace and Mercy of Allah. He (swt) says:

“And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in faith – to them shall We join their offspring, and We shall not decrease the reward of their deeds in anything. Every person is a pledge for that which he has earned” [52:21]

‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib understood this aayah – “Every person is a pledge for what he has earned” [74:38] – to indicate that the children of the believers would be in Paradise, because they did not earn anything for which they would be considered a pledge. [at-Tadkhirah, p. 511]

al-Bukhaari included a chapter in his Saheeh entitled “The virtue of one whose child dies and he bears it with patience for the sake of Allah”, in which he quoted the hadith of Anas who said that, “A Muslim whose three children die before reaching the age of puberty will be admitted to Paradise by Allah out of Mercy towards them.”

According to a hadith narrated by Abu Sa’eed the women asked the Prophet (Saw) “Set aside a day for us”. So he preached to them and said, “Any woman whose three children die will be shielded from the Fire by them.” A woman asked, “What about two?” He said, “And if two [die].” [Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Janaa’iz, Baab fadl man mata lahu walad fa ahtasaba, Fath al-Baari, 3/118]

The conclusion that may be drawn from this hadith is that the children of the believers will be in Paradise as Ibn Hajar says, “The one who is the reason for his parents being shielded from the Fire should be protected himself, because he is the means and cause of mercy”. [Fath al-Baari, 3/244]

A number of reports clearly indicate this for example, “The Muslims and the children will be in Paradise” [narrated by ‘Ali, quoted by ‘Abdullaah ibn Ahmad in Ziyaadat al-Musnad]

“A Muslim couple whose three children die before reaching the age of puberty will be admitted by Allah to paradise, they and their children, by His Grace and Mercy” [Fath al-Baari, 2/245]

From Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Their little ones are the pageboys of Paradise. One of them will meet his father – or his parents – and take hold of his clothes – or his hand – just as I am taking hold of the hem of your garment, and he will not let go” Or he said,” And he will not let go until Allah admits him to Paradise.” [Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 1/184, no. 342]

“The children of the believers will be in Paradise, being cared for by Ibraaheem and Sarah until they give them back to their parents on the Day of Resurrection”. [narrated by Abu Na’eem, ad-Daylami and Ibn ‘Asaakir from Abu Hurayrah – Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 3/451 no. 1467; see also 2/156 no. 603 narrated by Ahmad, Ibn Hibbaan, al-Haakim]

an-Nawawi referred to the ijmaa” of reliable Muslim scholars that any Muslim child who dies will be in Paradise. [Fath al-Baari, 3/244]. al-Qurtubee stated that Hammaad ibn Zayd, Hammad ibn Salamah and Ishaaq ibn Rahawayh refrained from giving an opinion [at-Tadhkirah, p.511]. an-Nawawi said, “Some of them refrained from giving an opinion because of the hadith of ‘Aaishah which was reported by Muslim with the wording, “A boy of the Ansaar died, and I said, “It is good for him, because he did not do or know any evil”. The Prophet (saw) said, “You should not say that because Allah (swt) has created its own people for Paradise..” The response to that is that he was most likely rebuking her for hastening to say something so decisive with no proof, or else he said that before he knew that the children of the Muslims would be in Paradise.” [Fath al-Baari, 3/244].

I suggest that the best opinion is that this hadith indicates that it is not permitted to state definitely that any one particular person is one of the people of Paradise, even if we know that in general they will be in Paradise.

The second point is that we should not be hasty in such matters, so that people will not dare to do what happens so often nowadays, when the bereaved claim that their departed loved one is in Paradise, even though he was the worst of people.

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